The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman
The American Dream proves to be a difficult to achieve in LorraineHansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun, and Arthur Miller's play, Death of aSalesman. While both families illustrate the struggle involved withachieving their dreams, they also prove that the struggle alone is notenough. We learn from the Younger family that dreams can be achieved, justnot always in the capacity in which we dream them. We learn from the Lomanfamily that waking up is just as essential as dreaming is. While bothfamilies do not get what they had dreamed, they illustrate the pain that issometimes attached to the American Dream. Lena's dream of having a home for her family is her driving force. Whenshe uses some of the insurance money for a house, she tells her childrenthat she tried to get the best with the money she had. When Waltercomplains, she tells him, "We was going backward 'stead of forwards--talking about killing babies and wishing each other was dead . . . When itgets like that in life--you just got to do something different, push on outand do something bigger" (Hansberry 2238). She is realistic amidst all the Beneatha dreams of attending medical school. She tells Asagai that
Walterhas matured because of his mistake and has not allowed it to ruin the restof his life. Dreams mean more to a salesman because there is so much attached to themand without them there is nothing. Lena, at the end of the story, is theone character that realizes her dream of moving into a new home. It is thedream that she and her husband worked so hard and even died for. It's not whatyou say--it's how you say it--because personality always wins the day"(1065-6). As long as Willy continues tobelieve the lies he tells others, he can keep his dream alive and as longas he feels there is hope, he believes that things are just fine. He don't put a bolt to anut, he don't tell you the law or give you medicine. These statements illustrate thedifficulty involved with having and attempting to achieve one's dreams. The Youngers, while they have suffered atragedy, do not give up completely. Walter's dream has withered away. In essence, the reality of not going to schoolhas made her a little more bitter, like Walter. Biffreinforces this sentiment at the end of the play when he tells the othersthat his father never got to know himself. He realizes that his life is and hisdreams of owning a liquor store are fading away fast and his wife does notseem to understand. In a way, Lena does not completely understand because her idea ofa dream for the future was freedom not money.
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Acceptance Essays
